Right, what are we/you drinking now .. tonight

[JamieBahrain]

2005 Wendouree Cab Malbec. A buddy and I shared.
Stunning example of this wine.
First look at the cork had me worried (pics attached). Into a decanter and let it sit for 30min to an hr.
Very muted and understated at first, still worried.
10-15 mins in. Things started to happen. Some hard edged acteone/nail polish remover like notes almost stinging the nose at first. ok good.
Following that some dark/cool brambly fruit started poking thru. Bit more time stared to get those asphalt/bitumen/machine shed notes and it really started to build from there. Moderate menthol and eucalyptus characters coming in with some nice black tea and dried spice. ON we go and some fantastic aniseed/liquorice punch. Got the slightest hint of oak towards the end of the bouquet that stayed the journey. It just kept evolving with more complex dark fruits and than came some subtle savoury smokiness to round out. On the palate this is like fine boned china. Tannin smooth as but just enough grip/structure to hold interest. Continued to evolve and as the curtains came down finished with a lovely soft floral note. The evolution and the aromas here just amazing. in the mix for WOTY

Following the above.... a glass of 2013 Mario Marengo Barolo Bricco Delle Viole. (did i say that right )
Geez the hard savoury note really threw me and i never recovered from there. Think the Wendouree was still winking at me from across the room and I just couldn't engage with this. It's quality wine, I could gather that. But my compass was struggling at this point.

Onto a Glass of 2018 Cullen Cab Merlot. Fruity/Oaky/caramel sweetness here.Odd structure This needs time? I dunno.

Wow that cork is terrible. Terrible storage at some point. Glad it came up well.

The Marengo BdV would possibly be in a fruit-awkward stage for a 13. Hard savoury notes are probably older oak showing up as the fruit shutdown.

[Rossco]

Excellent, enjoying the notes, so keep drinking!

For other Timorasso producers, try Massa, Marina Coppi (their Fausto is a big wine, but worth trying), Mariotto, La Colombera. As a personal preference I often trade down a little as I rather like the way the grape shows at 12.5-13.5%, but find that oiliness can lessen my interest as the alcohol rises (by comparison, I despise the oiliness of too many viogniers). Rather usefully that means paying less gets me a wine more to my tastes, but nonetheless ages very well.

I also recognise that spiciness you mention in Vespolina. Subtle for sure, but not uncommon.

Really appreciate those suggestions and will try to hunt around for those Timorasso producers. I see
Roagna make a Timorasso Derthona Montemarzino, that could be really interesting.

Very good point about the Alcohol %, I hadn't made note of it, so checked my other remaining bottles and was 13% (so right in your window)

[JamieBahrain]

Really appreciate those suggestions and will try to hunt around for those Timorasso producers. I see
Roagna make a Timorasso Derthona Montemarzino, that could be really interesting.

Very good point about the Alcohol %, I hadn't made note of it, so checked my other remaining bottles and was 13% (so right in your window)

I'm guessing Roagna will be expensive in Oz? My wine group gets a small allocation each year. We have buried them away.

There's always the next big thing in ITA ( or even the wine world ) and Timorasso is getting some attention. Few report on aged examples- and this is where the beauty is. It's sort of like white Hermitage, you can catch joy in youth, otherwise, leave for some intriguing development.

I can' recall if it matches up well with the famous wedding cake looking cheese of the region ( Montébore ) ?

[Rossco]

Really appreciate those suggestions and will try to hunt around for those Timorasso producers. I see
Roagna make a Timorasso Derthona Montemarzino, that could be really interesting.

Very good point about the Alcohol %, I hadn't made note of it, so checked my other remaining bottles and was 13% (so right in your window)

I'm guessing Roagna will be expensive in Oz? My wine group gets a small allocation each year. We have buried them away.

There's always the next big thing in ITA ( or even the wine world ) and Timorasso is getting some attention. Few report on aged examples- and this is where the beauty is. It's sort of like white Hermitage, you can catch joy in youth, otherwise, leave for some intriguing development.

I can' recall if it matches up well with the famous wedding cake looking cheese of the region ( Montébore ) ?

There are some 2017's floating around for AUD $ 135 - 145 from what I can see. So not cheap by any stretch, but still worth a try
and especially since its starting to warm up down here.

[JamieBahrain]

Fair enough. They do a chardonnay-nebbiolo white called Solea. Quite good.

[Sean]

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[Sean]

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[Sean]

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[Dragzworthy]

Sorrenberg Chardonnay 2016
This is an amazing wine. Is there something wrong with me given I'm enjoying Australian Chardonnay (typically Victorian) more than premier cru and village white Burgundy? I had this in tandem with a Leflaive Puligny Montrachet and the Sorrenberg was the more enjoyable wine (paired with soft cheeses). The nose is melon, guava and a hint of mango. The body is heavy with an oily (not in a bad way by any means) consistency and there's a hint of butter and some cinnamon. The acidity and fruit are extremely well balanced. Glad I have a few more of these tucked away though I'm not sure how they'll develop given how well they're drinking already.

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[Rory]

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2003 Wynns Black Label Cab Sauv.

Surprisingly fresh considering both it's age and the hot vintage.
Lovely integration, went well with the BBQ steak. Perhaps lacking the length of the great vintages, but pretty nice all up.

[Sean]

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[Sean]

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[Luke W]

2009 Felton Road Block 5, if Burgundy is better than this, sign me up. This is a wine to die for, maybe Burgundies are wines to live for??

[Rossco]

2010 Tahbilk Old Vines Cab Shiraz

Made very much in a 2000's style. Quite thick oak, and this bottle would have been
quite oak dominant early in its life. My records indicate this was my last bottle and I don't remember the
other two being so Oaky. Bought direct from the cellar door (when i was still buying Tahbilks) so possible bottle
variation? Its a screw cap though.

1st one had a lot of acid (opened very early near purchase), second was near perfect balance (cracked last year) and
this one was very oaky. Interesting.

Anyhoo........ plums, some slight mint and chewy tannin, although its definitely not a major influence. Some coffee grounds
and mocha type notes with that oak pencil shavings and vanilla. Was ok, fruit was overpowered by that creamy oak I thought, but will gain many fans because of it.
Nice enough Length, still very dark in the glass, impenetrable colour.

[Peter NZ]

2009 Felton Road Block 5, if Burgundy is better than this, sign me up. This is a wine to die for, maybe Burgundies are wines to live for??

Snap, just about - yesterday's wines:

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I'm with you on the '09 Feltons, all of which seem to be drinking particularly well now. (A Bannockburn a couple of weeks ago was noticeably fresher than, and generally preferred to, a magnum of '09 Pyramid Valley Calvert.) Of the other wines, all were excellent, other than the Pierre-Bise. I've not had one before, but this was particulalry dark, with a burnt toffee nose and possibly a little oxidised. Not unpleasant, but certainly different.

Both rieslings were excellent, particularly the W-K, which was a cellar-door purchase (unfortunately, so far as I'm aware, they don't have an NZ importer). The Neudorf Moutere was, I think, Bob Campbell's 1st ever 100 point wine, and lives up to this, though it still needs a fair bit of time.

[Sean]

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[Sean]

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[dave vino]

Chardonnay, Shiraz and Pinot tasting...and a Sparkler

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[Dragzworthy]

Chardonnay, Shiraz and Pinot tasting...and a Sparkler

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That's a great line up of Meursault there. Which was the preferred bottle?

[dave vino]

For me probably the Lafon, then the Coche then the 2010 PYCM Gen.

[Hacker]

Hi Dave, how was the Faiveley CdeB? I think I have some '09s and 10s hidden away.

[dave vino]

Hi Dave, how was the Faiveley CdeB? I think I have some '09s and 10s hidden away.

Very good, was expecting some monolithic monster. I *may* have mumbled under my breath that the nose showed more layers and complexity than all the other wines preceding it. I wouldn't be scared to open the wines now if you have more than one to see how it is travelling, pristine fruit, elegant and weighty. The Cornas was another step up again for me.

[Sean]

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[Sean]

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[I Love Shiraz]

Curly Flat Pinot Noir 2010

Opened up a bottle of this tonight. WOW.

This is in such a great place right now. Orange peel, cinnamon, and wood smoke on the nose. The palate is a wonderful amalgam of undergrowth, cajun spice, earth, white pepper, juniper berries, and autumn leaves. So much going on in the mouth. Tannins add to the complexity of this wine. It has that mineral feel you get with top Burgundian wines. The finish is very long.

[Sean]

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[George Krashos]

Auction purchases are fraught with risk, especially when one of the auctions is noted as having "potentially heat affected" wines.

So last weekend, we had the following:

- Chateau Cheval Blanc 1975: not heat affected, but corked like a @#$%ard.
- Chateau Pichon Lalande 1970: not heat affected but corked like a @#$%ard.
- Veritas Mataro Vintage Port 1975: just corked like a @#$%ard.

There are no great old wines, just great old bottles.

[Dragzworthy]

Auction purchases are fraught with risk, especially when one of the auctions is noted as having "potentially heat affected" wines.

So last weekend, we had the following:

- Chateau Cheval Blanc 1975: not heat affected, but corked like a @#$%ard.
- Chateau Pichon Lalande 1970: not heat affected but corked like a @#$%ard.
- Veritas Mataro Vintage Port 1975: just corked like a @#$%ard.

There are no great old wines, just great old bottles.

Heart breaking stuff, sorry for your losses their George. Incredibly frustrating when this happens

[Ian S]

Auction purchases are fraught with risk, especially when one of the auctions is noted as having "potentially heat affected" wines.

So last weekend, we had the following:

- Chateau Cheval Blanc 1975: not heat affected, but corked like a @#$%ard.
- Chateau Pichon Lalande 1970: not heat affected but corked like a @#$%ard.
- Veritas Mataro Vintage Port 1975: just corked like a @#$%ard.

There are no great old wines, just great old bottles.

The romance of cork just gave you a proper F*cking Really sad to hear of such a bad run. True at that age a 100% alive trio might not be expected, but to have three that were doomed from the day they were bottled is very annoying.

[JamieBahrain]

Lost a 1997 and 1995 Pio Cesare Barolo Ornato and a 1990 Pio Cesare Il Bricco Barbaresco to cork taint a few nights back .

I had four spare bottles for what I expected would be poor performances from poor storage in a line up of 18 bottles yet it was 100% TCA that was responsible for the write-offs. Pio Cesare seems to have invested in high quality corks judging by their very long length- no defence against high levels of TCA plaguing the period .

I sent diners home with corked bottles and challenged them to seek refund . It wasn’t tolerated in Australia by producers and consumers and debatable solutions followed .The Old World has been slower .